


Soul Bound

by WhiteFireDaydreams



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bilbo doesn't want dwarves in Bag End, Digital Art, Fluff, Illustrations, M/M, Original Art, Red String of Fate, Soul Bond, Soulmates, bofur is a flirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:28:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25069153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteFireDaydreams/pseuds/WhiteFireDaydreams
Summary: Bilbo hasn't found the one the red string of fate has tied him to but he's about to get some uninvited guests to Bag End.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Bofur
Comments: 12
Kudos: 98





	Soul Bound

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a little fic I wrote inspired by the illustration I did for the Dear Fellow Traveller charity zine. It's finished being on sale now so thought I'd add the picture now but if you wanna check out what the other's contributed to it the link should still give you a look at a bunch of love for Bilbo and Bofur. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who did buy it!
> 
> https://boffinszine.tumblr.com/

Bilbo grew up and became a bit sick of his string. All his cousins found their soulmates so quickly and so young. When he was young he'd gone out playing hoping to meet them in the woods. Roads towards Bree never gave him any hope as he watched the traders drive by. It slowly began to upset him a lot, frequently finding himself being reassured by his mother that he would find his one and get his happily ever after. Now Bilbo was approaching 40 and the red string of fate tied around his wrist still hadn't led him to anyone. Of course he was still lonely without a partner or his parents but he had decided to live for himself and not a soulmate that had yet to appear. He spent a great deal of time ignoring his soul bond all together.

Today was no different in that regard. In fact avoiding Gandalf had taken up most of his day. He intended to celebrate his wizard free afternoon with a delicious dinner. With scones for afters if the fish didn't fill him up too much. Which there was little fear of happening. It smelled delectable. Bilbo was just adding some lemon juice to his plate when there was a knock on the door.

Visitors at his hour? Bilbo pulled his dressing gown tight and opened the door to a dwarf.

"Now, I like visitors as much as the next hobbit but I must speak my mind I'm sorry.”

"Apology accepted.”

Bilbo felt all the wind come out from his sales. He was being eaten out of house and home, blatantly ignored and what had started off as one unwelcome dwarf had turned into four. It was all happening too quickly. Bilbo barely managed to protect anything from these intruders.

Then there was another knock on the door.

Bilbo's anger was bubbling to the surface as he marched over to the door. Dumping an alarming number of weapons he opened the door and a whole load of dwarves fell into his hall way. Bilbo looked up at the ceiling silently praying to whichever gods were listening that this would all just go a way.

"I think you might be wanting to get this fixed." Bilbo looked down and saw one of them was holding his damn door bell in his hand. The clot-head had attacked his home before even entering it.

Then he noticed it. Red string tied around the wrist of the dwarf holding his door bell aloft. His soul mate was a dwarf. A dwarf grinning up at him from the bottom of a pile of unwanted grubby visitors. 

Bilbo stumbled back from the door. This was too much to take in. He could hear the dwarves that were already in his house rearranging his furniture. While he watched a pile of dwarves begin to stand but Bilbo's One lay there looking Bilbo up and down. The cheek of it, he wasn't even trying to be subtle. Bilbo could feel himself blush as the man winked at him.

He couldn't figure out what to do as finally he was looking at his soulmate standing in front of him. He was taller than Bilbo and dressed, interestingly. The hat took a minute to get used to. The man didn't have as much facial hair as the other dwarves but the part growing from his upper lip was very long. 

He bowed very slowly keeping his eyes on Bilbo's. “Bofur, at your service.”

“Bilbo.” he replied in a small voice. There were other dwarves briefly introducing themselves as they made their way straight into the house. Bilbo couldn't take his eyes off of him, he was now kissing the back of Bilbo's hand. His ears burned. At least two of the dwarves were watching them and it felt ever so inappropriate. He was too old to be letting a dwarf kiss up his arm in public.

Then he heard a loud crash. “Oi, Kili grab the other end!”

“Oh no.” Bilbo pulled his hand away and followed the noise in a panic. “Please don't move that it's an antique!”

Bofur followed after him tailed by his family who were very confused as to how quickly Bofur had taken to their host. Bifur jabbed Bofur in the side when he looked as if he was going to join the chaos of the pantry where Bilbo was trying his very best to be assertive and failing miserably.

“What?”

Bifur glared at him.

“He's my One.” Bofur looked back at Bilbo. “Isn't he handsome?” Bombur and Bifur exchanged a look. They knew Bofur, he was going to be very eager to take this hobbit with them. A new member of the family. If the hobbit's larder was anything to go by he'd get on with Bombur very well. Although all the little fellow's protests suggested he wasn't quite as social as Bofur. They gave Bofur their best wishes and began to help the others empty the larder as quickly as they could.

“That's a tad excessive isn't it? Do you have a cheese knife?”

“Cheese knife? He eats it by the block.” Bofur enjoyed the exasperated look Bilbo gave him. Bilbo simply couldn't believe he was watching his soulmate help pillage his pantry.

After Bofur had set some more food on the table he went back and pulled Bilbo over to the table with much protest. “How can you help them do this? Those!” Bilbo pointed to a bowl on the table “Are my prize winning tomatoes!”

“Oh they look lovely, bet they taste wonderful.” Bofur said with a smile.

“I was saving them! I- what are you doing?”

“Just getting a nice spread. It all really looks delicious.” Bofur was piling one of everything onto a plate. “Here,” Bofur handed Bilbo the plate and began piling up another plate “better get plenty before the others sit down.” Bofur could see Bilbo looked worse for ware so he sat him down next to Bifur.

“I, I cant get them to stop.” Bilbo said weakly.

“Aye, hardly worth trying, really.” Bofur sat down next to him and took a bite of a biscuit. “This is great! Bom hand me another.” Bilbo watched as the ginger dwarf handed another over.

“There my mother's recipe.. Oh goodness is that Father's wine!” Bilbo tried to stand again but Bofur pushed him back down on his seat. 

“Dori, poor our host a glass if your openin a bottle.”

“Of course, here you go. It has a wonderfully fruity bouquet.”

Bilbo now saw Gandalf begin to set the table. “You, you are the reason I'm over run with dwarves!”

Bofur smiled at Bilbo, he wanted his soulmate to be happy of course but he looked ever so cute when he was practically bouncing in his seat in anger.

Somehow Bilbo had ended up sat at the end of the table next to a dwarf with an axe embedded in his forehead and Bofur sat at the end of the table. Bilbo huffed and continued to reprimand their awfully rude behaviour. Whenever he got too worked up he'd feel Bofur's hand squeeze his knee under the table. Then he'd lean in and ask about Bilbo's recipes and Bilbo would blurt out a stunted answer. He wasn't used to this much chaos (or this much physical contact). Never had he imagined his soulmate would make so many dirty jokes, or burp so loudly after chugging pints of ale. Pints, hah. Oh goodness he was going to be ruined by a dwarf in a funny hat who made his knees go weak.

The dragon business was quite upsetting. Bilbo was certain your soulmate wasn't meant to appear to take so much joy from making you faint. Even if Bofur seemed to take just as much joy fussing over him after he'd come round.

“Are you sure you're alright?” Bofur asked.

“Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just need to sit quietly for a while.” This was when Bilbo learnt that neither Bofur or Gandalf were any good at sitting quietly. 

Gandalf's current tactic seemed somewhere between trying to inspire him into wanting to come and lecturing him that he ought to come. The two didn't go together very well. Especially with Bofur piping in every now and again. It seemed to annoy Gandalf greatly and Bilbo couldn't blame him. Bofur's arguments were all over the place, he was clearly a little bit desperate.

Once Gandalf had given up going over his arguments Bofur lit his pipe and sat quietly for a moment. 

“Bag End is my home.” Bilbo said resolutely to the fire.

“I suppose I likely won't be seeing you again then.” Bilbo looked at Bofur, he sounded very melancholy.

“No, you know where I live. You can visit after all this nonsense is over.”

“Bilbo without a burglar we might not live till the end of 'this nonsense'.”

“Oh.” Bilbo felt a deep heart ache set in. He could live happily but very alone or live significantly shorter but with his One. “Right.”

“If we reclaim the mountain of course I'll come back for yer but..”

“There's no guarantee.”

“Exactly.”

The song the dwarves were singing was mournful and matched the knot building in Bilbo's stomach. Bofur's voice was beautiful. Bilbo wanted to hear it again, singing something more joyful.

Bilbo woke from a deep dream. He felt whiskers on his cheek and let himself drift again. Then he opened his eyes. He looked at his wrist and saw the string twitch slightly as the door to Bag End was slammed shut. He hadn't dreamt it. He was bound to a dwarf who was off to fight a dragon.

His mother's voice rang in his ears: Once you do find your soulmate I know you two will spend the rest of your life together.

Bilbo jumped up and gathered his things as quickly as he could. He couldn't let his soulmate go and get killed on a grand adventure without him. Now that he'd found him he wasn't going to let him go so easily.


End file.
